Wayward drive on 12th sows seeds of Merritt’s defeat at RBC Heritage
Wayward drive on 12th sows seeds of Merritt’s defeat
TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY
By Kendall Salter
The Island Packet
April 19–As Kevin Kisner and Jim Furyk battled it out in a playoff for the 2015 RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing championship, Troy Merritt emerged from the scorer’s trailer looking worn out from Sunday’s battle.
After leading at the close of Rounds 2 and 3, this is where the fairy tale came to an end.
The seeds of his defeat were sown with an unlucky drive on No. 12, when his driver sent the ball caroming off of a tree and just a few yards out of bounds. Already a shot back of a surging Furyk, Merritt dropped two strokes and would never recover.
“A loose driver on 12 that rattled in the trees,” Merritt said. “Other than that it was just rock solid all day. I just couldn’t get any putts to go.”
Merritt stormed into a commanding four-shot lead after tying the course record with a 61 on Friday afternoon. On Saturday, he held a three-stroke advantage after 54 holes and hoped his steady game plan from the first three days would keep him ahead of any late challenges.
He said he kept an eye on the leaderboard throughout Sunday’s round and was well aware of what Furyk was doing. Of course, he had a playing partner, Kisner, who first caught and then passed Merritt before the day was done.
“I don’t ever shy away from the scoreboard,” Merritt said. “I have no problem knowing where I sit or who is doing what.”
Ultimately, it was a disappointing finish to what has been a dream week for the 29-year-old, who carried a lighthearted approach to his success and wasn’t afraid to crack a few jokes at his own expense.
He even took aim at his own fashion sense over the last few days, chuckling over his choice of outfits and color schemes.
After 18 difficult holes on Sunday, he was a bit more subdued, but would not let a third-place finish overshadow what he accomplished at Harbour Town.
“I really enjoyed my time,” Merritt said. “I had four rounds in the 60s. Shot 4 under on the weekend, which unfortunately this week didn’t get it done.”
Merritt can take some consolation with finishing alone in third, highlighted by finally sinking a putt on No. 18. He received a warm reception and cracked a smile when his last shot fell to push him back to 16 under.
“It’s just one of those days where nothing goes in and you make the one on 18, and sure enough I hit it right in the back center.”
It was one last hurrah for the underdog that lit up Hilton Head Island for three days, only to fall short on Sunday.
Follow sports writer Kendall Salter at twitter.com/IPBG–Kendall.
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©2015 The Island Packet (Hilton Head, S.C.)
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AMX-2015-04-19T19:17:00-04:00
This story was originally published April 19, 2015 at 8:41 PM with the headline "Wayward drive on 12th sows seeds of Merritt’s defeat at RBC Heritage."